Culture, defamation of faith

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One of the manifestations of backwardness of our countries, which are too difficult to enumerate, is the indifference of our governments, consequently our peoples to culture. It is reported that “Goebbels”, Hitler’s propaganda minister said ‘When I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun’.

One of the recent cultural pitfalls in our country is the government’s silent decision to hand over international cultural edifices, such as the Opera House and its annexes, scientific museums and international theaters, which have cost hundreds of millions for their establishment, for half-educated and non-specialists to manage them.

The interest of Al-Qabas in issuing a periodic supplement concerned with culture is remarkable, in light of all this cultural emptiness we are experiencing, it is something that deserves to be commended.

In an article written by the supervisor of the cultural publication of Al-Qabas, Professor Jamal Hussein Ali, entitled “When the parrot spoke,” the writer tried to put a definition of the intellectual, and how he defines him as his image that he carried since childhood.

The intellectual is polite with good matter and self-respect, so he is not the person who reads much or the intelligent person who received a good education and traveled a long time and knew languages.

All of this does not make a person educated. Culture and intelligence are internal elements, and they cannot be possessed if they are not rooted in the human personality, and they do not come from knowledge only, but also from the ability to understand the other.

These abilities are manifested in discussion with respect and politeness, good leadership, helping others without ostentation, protecting nature, chastity of appearance and tongue, preserving people’s sanctities, and conscious goodwill by enlightening others and informing them of his knowledge and thousands of other details.

He is, therefore, to me, like a phoenix, for in my whole life I have never met anyone who possesses all these thousand qualities, and perhaps there are those who possess them but my misfortune has not pushed them in my way.

Then the respected writer addresses the fact that the hardliners fear everything related to culture, and insist on filling people’s heads with nonsense, and keeping them away from the best literary, artistic and musical works, ancient and modern, while they are often the ones who advocate the preservation of values, morals, customs and traditions more than others and at the same time, they may be the ones who spoil people’s tastes the most.

The task of their idiots lies in examining what is published and broadcast to ensure that nothing immoral appears from their rotten point of view, but at the same time they do not hesitate to waste billions on corrupting young and old, and continue to monitor them, trample their minds and crush their freedom of expression in the name of “defamation of religion” . What are the limits here? And who assesses defamation?

Who proves to the accused that the judge (and even the lawyer) is familiar with the principles of theology and jurisprudence, and other sciences of theology in addition to his knowledge of the Torah and the Gospels, and his knowledge of the history of religions and prophets, etc?

The strange thing is that in many cases the contemptuous is fined and sentenced to imprisonment. The question is: Why pay the fine to the government and not to someone who has been touched by contempt?

And what is the relationship of religions, in all their texts, to financial fines and prison sentences?

Do they have a secret interpretation of religious texts? Do they have a divine mandate to do this on behalf of God, which we do not know?

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By Ahmad alsarraf

This news has been read 16639 times!